Photocorps: The Photo-Based Scavenger Hunt That's All The Rage

I’ll get right to it: PhotoCorps is an online project that guides people into taking photographs in new ways while rewarding them with patches for completing tasks. I recently did it, and it was super fun.

Remember that time you were in the boy or girl scouts and you got a cool patch to put on your plaid sash because you swam 45 feet, started a fire with some twigs, then milked a cow or something? It’s like that — but for anyone.

Get on PhotoCorps.org, request a free instruction booklet, check out the photo-related tasks listed in it, and submit your photos on the site to get patches mailed to you as a reward.

The program refers to this as “photoscouting.” In layman’s terms, it’s a visual scavenger hunt that’s already built. And all you need to do is pick up the nearest camera (likely your phone) and do it.

You don’t have to be a photographer.You can do it anywhere in the world.It’s totally free (if you’re in Cincy).You can do it right now.

THE CATEGORIES/TASKS

Photography, Neighborhood, and People are the categories. Within them, tasks like taking a photo of someone you admire, taking a photo of a pattern, and taking a photo of something that’s broken are there to complete.

The tasks are varied and the scavenger hunt guides you to notice stuff you potentially otherwise wouldn’t. Personally, I had a lot of fun with the Neighborhood category because I enjoyed focusing on the stuff where I live.

THE END GAME

When you finish four of the seven tasks per category, you’re mailed a patch that corresponds to the category you completed. (I even got a fourth bonus patch for doing more than the required four!)

And if you give PhotoCorps permission, your photographs could be included in a printed edition that’s scheduled to arrive by Spring 2017. Imagine how proud grandma will be when you show her the page with your photo of a dead bee that you submitted for the Close-Up task!

So what are you waiting for? It’s a fun scavenger hunt you can begin at any time, it’s easy to do alone or with friends, it’s free, and you might be published in a book by next year!

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For more information, including a complete list of the photography tasks, head to PhotoCorps.org.

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